Pokemon:DELTA Emerald
by Coolchill0124
Summary: A twist on the Generation 3 Pokemon games, D.E.L.T.A Emerald is a story about a teenage boy named Stewart, who travels to the region of Hoenn after his parents' mysterious death. As he looks deeper into his parents' accident, Stewart falls into the dark corporate underworld of Hoenn and finds himself in the middle of a raging war between two powerful forces.


_Sweltering heat tugged the sweat from his forehead as the insidious smoke ripped tears from his eyes. Two faint voices screamed his name, ever so faintly, and he could almost feel himself scream in response, as if to relive the experience. It had never been a good idea to separate his room from his parent's, shipping him to a state of isolation upstairs. However, he had never considered it would result in the current consequences._

"_Stewart, it's going to work out just fine…" ,this time, the masculine voice was not as faint, instead followed by a coughing fit to justify it's volume. "Your mother and I, we want you to know we love you Stewart-",the voice broke off again, cracking into a sob, "Everything is going to work out just fine…",the soft refrain crippled what shred of hope lied within him, the desperation giving way to pain and anger. A loud crash. The house shook violently, and Stewart knew the structure's integrity would soon give in. No more voices, just the crackling of fire, the creaking of wood, and the piteous wails of a young boy's sobs._

Stewart woke with a start, gasping for air. The old man sitting next to him tossed a concerned glance, but buried his head in a magazine when Stewart returned the gaze. He had never flown before, and to do so alone was far more traumatizing than imaginable. Chuckling from the other side , a younger man, an assumed tourist from the floral shirt he donned, handed him a handkerchief, gesturing toward his own forehead. As Stewart acknowledged and wiped the sweat from his face, the man questioned with a grin, "Nightmares?" Pocketing the handkerchief, Stewart let out an annoyed sigh and spat out angrily, "Yes, and it's been a long couple of days, so if you could just cut the small talk, that'd be great." He instantly regretted it, as the man's friendly nature dissipated, his toothy grin vanishing, face turning to look out the window.

Red-faced, Stewart reconciled, "Look man, I'm sorry. It's just…"

"That's alright", the man's smile reappeared, "You don't need to explain yourself."

With a nod, Stewart opened up his PokeNav, resuming the awkward silence that hung between them.

"Ah, a PokeNav. So you've been to Hoenn before?"

"No, actually. My aunt and uncle sent this to me over the holidays. I haven't really figured out how to use it yet."

"Hm. Well, I couldn't tell you how to work one of those, but I'm sure my daughter may be able to assist you.", he paused, examining Stewart once more, "Birch, by the way."

"Stewart, but you can just call me Stew."

"Nice to meet you, Stew."The man stuck his hand out, and in the tight space allotted, the handshake should have been extremely uncomfortable, but the man's welcoming hand and cheerful attitude assured it wasn't. For the next thirty minutes, Birch ensued in a lecture detailing the wonders of Hoenn and it's locations, while Stewart fiddled with the PokeNav, to no avail. Eventually, a voice called over the intercom to put away all electronics, as the plane was in descent.

"Hey, do you know where we land? I've been going in and out, it's been a rough couple of days."

"Yes, Evergrande City. Used to be a desolate island with some shops and Victory Road, but they seem to be pushing it as the hub for transportation, especially flight."

"Who're they?" Stewart had never considered that each region had its own government, and didn't note any kind of government in his hometown.

"AeraDelta Corporations. They've become a driving force of the Hoenn economy, instituting tons of businesses and franchises all over. It's quite frightening how much power lies in the palm of their hands. They could hold the entire region hostage if they wanted." Birch seemed distant in thought once he concluded, but Stewart interrupted,

"So Evergrande City is an island?", When Birch nodded, Stewart continued, "How do we get to the mainland? Some of my family lives in Littleroot Town, and all I really know is that it's definitely inland."

"Well, I have a private charter boat docked by Evergrande Bay, I could get you to the mainland. From there, however, I have some research to do, so I am afraid I can't help you get to Littleroot."

"Thanks", Stewart responded, relief washing over him. He didn't how he would get to Littleroot once he made it to the mainland, but for now, he decided to enjoy the man's company.

The calm and tiresome atmosphere of the airplane cabin quickly disappeared as Stewart entered the bustling Evergrande Airport. Tight formations of tourists and business people stormed around him, the chaos pulling in multiple directions. Birch grabbed him by his hand and dragged him, fighting against the current of oncoming traffic. Eventually, they made it through the crowd, and Birch relinquished his hand, which was sore from the grip.

"You got any luggage?", Birch asked after claiming his bags from the moving track. Stewart simply shook his head, holding his backpack up to signal it was all he had. Without further question, they headed out. The bright sunlight assaulted Stewart's eyes, and he felt the tropical humidity wash over him. In contrast to the dry heat of other regions, Hoenn's climate was far more distinct. Almost immediately,he began scratching at the bug bites he felt accumulating.

Birch whipped out a can, and quickly sprayed himself down. Once he was done, he handed it over to Stewart, rubbing it in on his arms. Stewart tossed a quizzical glance at the Hoenn resident, who explained, "Repel. Designed to keep away Pokemon, but in small concentrations, helps with insects as well." Nodding in understanding, Stewart proceeded to spray himself down and Birch launched into an explanation of the keen differences between insects and insect-like Pokemon, to which Stewart relinquished a sigh. The man was welcoming and kind, but he really needed some quiet.

Evergrande City was far from Stewart's expectations. Giant, intimidating mountains loomed above him, and industrialized, modern buildings were scattered throughout, looking extremely out of place in the desolate mountain landscape. Not only did they detract from the environment at hand, but they also added a metallic and unwelcoming nature to the city. On each skyscraper, which barely reached half the height of the mountains that hung in the background, was a sign with a logo containing the word _Aera_, with what looked to be a snake intertwined throughout the word.

"AeraDelta Corporations?" , Stewart asked, gesturing with his head to the sign.

Birch nodded, with what seemed to be disdain. "If you ask me, we were better off without them. It's not the most popular opinion, especially considering all the jobs they provided, but Hoenn seemed to be handling itself quite fine. Don't get me wrong, they've definitely done some good. They made Hoenn far more accessible than ever before, and even more minor changes, such as fixing up the waterfalls so that boats could traverse them, are quite beneficial. I just can't find myself trusting them." Tossing a glance back at Evergrande City as he boarded the boat, Stewart contemplated how grand "the paradise of flowers, the sea, and Pokemon" truly was.

Any doubt or misfortunes Stewart might have held against Hoenn quickly dissipated on the ride to shore, however, as the ship navigated through sparkling waves filled with activity and life. Athletes pedaled through the waters, children splashed each other on small islands scattered throughout, and yet, it was serene and at peace, an aquatic sanctuary to escape the many burdens of life. Sucking in the sweet sea-salt air in content, Stewart realized Birch had gone silent. He was eyeing the dark blue waters, and Stewart followed his gaze. Part of the surface was bubbling, the foam collecting. As the boat rounded a corner, Stewart caught a Pokemon rising out of the water, with what seemed to be a Scuba Diver on his back.

Birch seemed lost in thought, creating the awkward tension Stewart regretted wanting. The silence that hung between them could be sliced by a knife, and, instead of engaging conversation, he focused back on those enjoying the clear sapphire waters. When the boat passed what looked to be an obscenely large ash-coated volcano, Stewart found the question coming out of his mouth before he could catch it, "What _is_ that?"

Birch chuckled, the smile returning to his face. "Sootopolis City, built right on top of that volcano right there. I sincerely recommend you check it out one day, Stew. There are tons of legendary things to see and do there." Soon, they were docked at Lilycove City. Disembarking, Stewart felt disappointed the boat ride didn't last longer.

Catching the expression, Birch smirked,"Trust me, you'll get tired of traversing those waters fast. Everyone does." Once they got their things together, Birch directed Stewart in the right direction and wished him luck.

"It's quite a walk, but just follow the path, make lefts whenever you can, and you should be fine."

"Thanks man, I really owe you one." Stewart shouldered his pack and headed off, waving goodbye to the newly established friend that he met what felt like a century ago.

He lasted ten minutes on the path before exhaustion took over. With tired legs, he trudged on until the sound of flowing water met his ears. Diverting from the path, Stewart followed the melody until he reached a small spring, with water too shallow to jump in. He ripped the sneakers from his feet and doused them, sighing in relief at the cool liquid rushing over his tired skin.

A squeak resounded, coming from the vegetation beyond the spring. With bare feet, Stewart scanned the area, pulling back branches to find the source of the noise. Shrugging, Stewart proceeded to throw his sneakers back on. As he shouldered his pack, a sudden burst of water nailed him on the face, causing him to fall back in surprise. He stumbled backwards, tripping and landing square in the middle of the pool. Goosebumps travelling up his skin, Stewart remained still, his clothes already soaked. More rustling from the woods. Shivering from a mix of fear and temperature, Stewart leapt from the pond, grabbing his bag. He slowly backed away from the source of the water assault, only to feel his back bump into something large, a bark following.

Turning to face a large, black-furred hound with snarling teeth in his face, Stewart abandoned any fear he felt for the woods beyond, and darted toward them. The rustling intensified, and a small creature leapt from the trees, landing square in between Stewart and the hound. The mudfish-like creature spat a burst of water at the adversary, catching it off guard. Temporarily blinded by the attack, the mudfish tackled the hound, whom whimpered and sprinted away. Stewart remained where he stood, speechless at the undertaking he had witnessed. Yet again, water nailed him in the face, awakening him from the dumbstruck state.

"Kip?", It questioned, gazing up at him innocently. After witnessing what it could do, Stewart decided it would be best to get on the creature's good side, and pulled his backpack out, ripping a few soggy granola bars out. As soon as he removed the plastic off the bar, he felt it torn from his hands by the creature's mouth.

"There you go little guy", Stewart coaxed as the mudfish chewed thoughtfully, "Now..just..let..me..leave", he pronounced each word as he took one step toward the path, away from it. Once he rounded the corner, he took off, the encounter reinvigorating him. When he concluded he put enough space between him and the spring, he settled to a walk. The sun was setting, and Stewart was out in the middle of nowhere. There were definitely more Pokemon like the ones he just encountered lurking about, and with that thought in the back of his mind, he knew sleep was not an option. That's when he heard the voices not so far away.

"We gotta get these shipments to Rustboro by dawn, and now the damn tire bursts. Ridley's gonna kill us."

"Heh, if Maximoff doesn't first."

"Will the two of you shut your mouths? I should have the tire patched up soon, so why don't you two go and make yourself useful? Try to see if you can get in touch with Maximoff, tell 'im we're running behind."

"Aw, no way man. Maximoff loves to shoot the messenger, and you know that. Let's just scout the area, check for any rare Pokemon. That should make up for it."

"We aren't gonna find shit out here, and you know that."

"What else are we gonna do, smartass?" With that, the men's voices drew closer, and Stewart dove into the bushes. These guys sounded like people he didn't want to mess with. Crawling through the underbrush, he felt his foot snag on a vine, causing the leaves and bushes around him to shake. He glanced through to ascertain his proximity to the truck, labeled with the AeraDelta logo. A man was working furiously at a tire in the front, wiping his head as he directed his eyes to the source of the noise. Ducking again, Stewart waited for the man to look back to the tire. Then, he dashed out of the shrubbery, the man still unaware of his presence, and leapt into the back of the truck's cargo hold.

'I can rest up at Rustboro City. Hopefully from there I can walk to Littleroot.' Stewart thought, attempting to remember the map he had glanced at on the plane. That's when his thoughts were interrupted by the various noises that erupted next to him. He looked up to see, amidst the boxes full of goods, cages containing Pokemon he did not recognize. A bird, a pooch that resembled the hound he encountered earlier, and a butterfly. Before he could take it in, he heard the gruff voices of the men return, sending another chill down his back as they happily proclaimed, "Guess what we found Lenny?"

"Yeah, what's that?"

"A nice ole Mudkip, you believe it? He was just following the path like nothin', though it looked like he was a following a scent. You think there's more?"

"Well I'll be damned. Nah, and this tire's almost patched up, don't bother." Although the name didn't strike Stewart as familiar, the desperate shrieks of "Kip!" definitely did.

The truck shook violently as the man boarded the cargo hold, dangling the Mudkip from it's leg. As he bent down to open a cage further down the hold, Stewart worked furiously at the other locks. Eventually he used his PokeNav to shatter the lock on the Poochyena cage. The man turned to the noise, only to meet the angry paws of the pup. He stumbled backwards, relinquishing Mudkip, who soared back into the open, the dog following in suit.

"What the hell?!", he grunted as he regained his footing. Stewart shattered the locks on the remaining cages, the remaining Pokemon soaring at the man, pushing him out of the truck. Stewart, deciding he wasn't going to be able to remain secretly on board any longer, dove from the truck, quickly darting away from the truck.

"The bastard just released four great catches! Get 'em!" Shouted the man still bent at the tire.

Luckily, Stewart had placed enough land between him and the men to secure his safety, but Mudkip was not as fortunate. The men were gaining on the mudfish, while the hound-like Pokemon had darted back into the woods and the bird and butterfly had flown out of their reach. Sighing, Stewart began jogging toward the Mudkip, grabbing it and, losing his advantage on the men, sprinted as fast as he could.

Yet, as he rounded the corner, he could feel his last shred of hope vanish. The giant hound creature from before stood before them, blocking the path, this time backed up with what looked to be a whole pack of the Pokemon. By the time Stewart could attempt to retreat, he was sandwiched between the two forces. The sun had set, and escaping into the woods would be a death wish. He placed Mudkip on the ground, and pointed towards the woods.

Although unsure Pokemon could understand English, Stewart insisted, "At least one of us will get out of this. Go." He shooed the creature, who adamantly stood his ground, shaking his head. "Alright, I guess we'll both suffer then."

That's when he felt the wind pick up, feeding the tension that almost made the scene intolerable. Then, in a flash of red light, he felt himself being lifted up, flying, and then grounded once more. It had felt instantaneous, but he was no longer on the path, skewed between the Pokemon and the AeraDelta shipment workers.

Instead, he found himself on a hill, overlooking a small town. Laying next to him was the Mudkip that he could just no shake off. He picked him up and continued down the hill, toward a Town Sign. 'Don't tell me...', he thought, as he read the giant wooden plaque signifying where he was, and cheered in relief: Littleroot Town.


End file.
